New Radio Reporter at the AJC?

[TheRealOtherNeil]

A well-placed source tells me that all AJC employees need to re-apply and re-interview for their jobs. This is due to the recent cut-backs at the venerable paper. Currently re-applying is our own intrepid radio reporter Rodney Ho. My source tells me that Rodney has been polishing up his resume and has been struggling trying to come up with a list of positive contributions over the past six years at the paper to warrant keeping his current job.

All those who think they can do a better job , now is your chance. Apply for Rodney's job. If you get it, Rodney can follow his true love, Larry Wachs, back home to NYC.

 

[Freebird Fantasia]

He certainly missed the boat on the recent incident at 790.

 

[SalesWeasel]

You know...Rodney has a thankless job and y'all would bitch about the reporter no matter who he or she may be. He's a reporter, who covers radio. Guess who his audience is? Look in the mirror...good, ego assuaged.

 

[Insideradio]

You know...Rodney has a thankless job and y'all would bitch about the reporter no matter who he or she may be. He's a reporter, who covers radio. Guess who his audience is? Look in the mirror...good, ego assuaged.

Like any other business these days, being one dimensional will get you a trip to the unemployment line. Does Rodney write about ANYTHING else? Would you pay a guy that only writes about a medium that only a select few like to read about?
Newspapers are struggling in a big way. I say this is the beginning of the end for Rodney.

 

[96atl]

He also writes about American Idol and television for the AJC and I think some other general entertainment type of stories. I really enjoy his blogs. I hope he doesn't go anywhere.

 

[100]

Rodney's problem is that all he writes is a negative, tabloidy type piece...everytime. Check out his articles, they all have a negative spin. Most personalities won't even talk to the guy anymore. I know a few that HATE him and they will never return his calls. That even spreads to management. Hearing "Rodney Ho from the AJC is on line 3" usually evokes "holdicide" as nobody ever wants to pick it up. I bet the Ho has spent several hours on hold in his lifetime. It's wouldn't be that hard to write a radio column without alienating most in radio. He seems to write more about past personalities (sometimes with ridiculous stories) more than anything current going on in Atlanta radio. Anyone else agree or am I way off?

 

[middlega]

Anyone else agree or am I way off?

The two things may not be entirely mutually exclusive.

I think he writes mostly to what normal people might have some interest in reading ... which would trend toward "negative, tabloidy type pieces". He isn't writing for the people in the business, he isn't writing for the audience here, he's writing for the relative handful of people who might be hooked by treating the personalities just as any other entertainment figure.

It's wouldn't be that hard to write a radio column without alienating most in radio.

Probably not. But I believe the odds of anybody (outside the biz) reading it are even lower than the current fare.

He seems to write more about past personalities (sometimes with ridiculous stories) more than anything current going on in Atlanta radio.

On this point I'm not sure I agree with you, at least not that it's a strongly pronounced skew of formers vs currents, but again, he has to write what's likely to be of interest to the largest number of people. Heck, look at the former vs current personality mentions in this forum, I'd say it's as prominent here as it is with his stuff.
Plus, quite a few of the most interesting/notable personalities in Atlanta radio are also Cox employees, which means he's pretty well damned if he does or doesn't by doing pieces on them.

To be honest, I tend to enjoy his work when he writes about something/someone that's interesting to me, less so when he's off about a subject that doesn't. And that's coming from someone who's interested enough to hit this forum several times on a typical day. Imagine how tough it would be to attract readers who really don't think of radio except when they have it on.

 

[JimV]

You know...Rodney has a thankless job and y'all would bitch about the reporter no matter who he or she may be. He's a reporter, who covers radio. Guess who his audience is? Look in the mirror...good, ego assuaged.

Like any other business these days, being one dimensional will get you a trip to the unemployment line. Does Rodney write about ANYTHING else? Would you pay a guy that only writes about a medium that only a select few like to read about?
Newspapers are struggling in a big way. I say this is the beginning of the end for Rodney.

While Rodney doesn't need me or anyone else to defend him, for the record

• Prior to the AJC he wrote for arguably the best newspaper in the country, on a beat not at all related to radio.
• His American Idol blog is the most popular blog at AJC.com, and one of the most popular American Idol Blogs in the country.
• He frequently writes Peach Buzz.

Wherever Rodney ends up, he'll land on his feet. As a fan of radio, I certainly hope it continues to be television/radio.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

While Rodney doesn't need me or anyone else to defend him, for the record


Prior to the AJC he wrote for arguably the best newspaper in the country, on a beat not at all related to radio.
His American Idol blog is the most popular blog at AJC.com, and one of the most popular American Idol Blogs in the country.
He frequently writes Peach Buzz.

I agree with you. I find Rodney's writing to be very objective and not tabloid style at all. I do not find that he's more negative than positive. He writes negative things when the facts are negative. His job is to inform the general public about what's happening, and part of that is reporting which stations didn't do well in Arbitron. It's hard not to write that 99X is not doing well when those are the facts. And as someone said, Rodney's target audience is not radio people.

I really question Neil's "facts." I think Neil was trying to be funny and was not very successful doing it.

 

[rho01]

My radio blog receives between 140,000 to 200,000 page views a month. It was the third most popular blog on ajc.com behind my "Idol" blog and David O'Brien's excellent Braves blog.

And yes, Jim is right: radio is only part of my job. I write weekend Peach Buzz, a weekly TV ratings story each Thursday and general TV trends.

 

[TheRealOtherNeil]

I really question Neil's "facts." I think Neil was trying to be funny and was not very successful doing it.

Roddy, how dare you question me on this? If you doubt the veracity of this, call Rodney and ask him. He will tell you that everything I wrote is 100% accurate.

Here's another tidbit to get everyone's fingers thinking: Rodney no longer answers his cell phone. Could it be that Cox took it back?

 

[mshawnarnold]

The AJC is under a massive re-org right now, hence the shaking around over there. But, I've said this before and I'll say it again, it's pretty easy to sit in the cheap seats and call for someone's replacement.

We've said it before: If you don't like someone's work don't read/listen/watch it. Or even feel free to complain about it. However, calling for someone to lose their employment is pretty classless.